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Greymouth Star
New Zealand
6 - Thursday, June 25, 2015
Dunedin
The Government
seemed
hellbent
on destroying New
Zealand’s
saving
culture,
Labour
finance spokesman
Grant Robertson said
yesterday.
New enrolments for
the ANZ Investments
Kiwisaver
scheme
had plunged by 50%,
an inevitable result
of the Government
chopping the $1000
kick-start initiative.
“This is a huge
backward step. New
Zealand’s savings rate is far too low and
Kiwisaver saw a big improvement in our
savings, so this makes no sense.”
Labour was committed to the Kiwisaver
scheme it started, Mr Robertson said.
Although Labour was reviewing its
superannuation policy, it still intended
reintroducing the $1000 kick-start, he
said.
ANZ Wealth New Zealand managing
director John Body urged the public not
to give up on Kiwisaver because of the
loss of the kick-start benefit for new
members.
Kiwisaver remained an excellent
savings vehicle, with many benefits for
members.
Someone working and contributing
to Kiwisaver would probably have their
employer matching their contributions.
Eligible members could still receive
the Government ’s annual contribution
of up to $521, provided they contributed
$1042 during the year.
A 25-year-old, earning the median
wage of $45,000 a year and contributing
3% of their salary, would receive $20,000
in Government contributions and
another $74,000 from their employer by
the time they reached 65, he said.
On the same basis, the $1000 kick-start
they originally received
at 25 would have grown
to only $3000 by the
time they were 65 —
less than 2% of their
projected
retirement
balance of $202,000.
But the
removal
of kick-start had hit
people’s confidence in
the nation’s retirement
savings scheme.
An ANZ sur vey of
1200 people conducted
earlier
this month
showed 63% of people
who had not yet joined
Kiwisaver were now less
likely to join now the
kick-start had been scrapped, Mr Body
said.
The sur vey also found about 40% of
people were less confident about the
future of Kiwisaver as a result of the
change and 52% of people were saying
they were concerned the Government
would make other changes to Kiwisaver
in the future that would affect their
savings.
It was vital any future changes to
Kiwisaver were well-telegraphed so
New Zealanders understood what was
proposed, he said.
“More than 2.5 million New
Zealanders have invested in Kiwisaver.
It ’s clear any changes to the scheme are
likely to make people uneasy.
“ We need a no-surprises approach
here so people don’t lose confidence in
Kiwisaver, because it’s important to the
whole country New Zealanders save for
their retirement. ”
Responding to a question in the
House after making the Kiwisaver
announcement last month, Prime
Minister John Key said: “ The removal
of the $1000 kick-start contribution will
not make a blind bit of difference to the
number of people who join Kiwisaver.”
— Otago Daily Times
Wellington
The Department of Conser vation
is investigating allegations that
Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau tried
to smuggle native birds on a flight
up the length of the country under
his jacket.
Last night 3 News reported DOC
was investigating the iwi leader,
who was allegedly caught with five
kereru — native wood pigeons —
under his jacket as he boarded a
flight from Invercargill to Northland.
It said Mr Tau was caught with up
to five kereru. It is thought he was
taking the birds as a gift to his local
kaumatua.
The birds were reportedly shot
during a hunting trip, but it was
unclear whether Mr Tau was
responsible for killing them.
It has been illegal to shoot kereru
since 1864.
Kereru have been totally protected
since 1921.
DOC would not be drawn on
the specifics of the allegation as it
did not comment on claims under
investigation.
Mr Tau, who faces a fine of
$100,000 or up to six months
in prison if convicted, could not
be reached last night. Ngapuhi
executive assistant Anaru Kaipo did
not respond to messages.
Ngapuhi chief executive Allen
Wihongi seemed surprised to hear
about the investigation.
“ I can’t really comment on this. I
have no comment to make until I
find out for myself,” he said.
According to DOC the kereru
is New Zealand ’s only disperser
of large fruits, such as those from
karaka and taraire trees.
“The disappearance
of the
kereru would be a disaster for the
regeneration of our native forests,”
DOC information stated.
— N Z ME -New Zealand Herald
Dunedin
An elderly man lost
“everything”, including his best
friend, in a fire that tore through
his Clinton home the day before
his 85th birthday.
Jim Dickson’s beloved Jack
Russell-mix Jess died in the fire
yesterday and a lifetime’s worth of
memories was destroyed.
His son Dave Dickson, of
Portobello, picked his father
up from Balclutha Hospital at
11am, after Mr Dickson senior
was treated for smoke inhalation
suffered in the 7am blaze.
“He’s going strong, or he’s
putting his chin up, anyway,” Mr
Dickson said.
“Understandably a little bit of a
difficult time with his best mate
passing.”
Mr Dickson’s father is deaf and
usually communicates with his
family through e-mail — he lost
“all that ” too.
Mr Dickson said his father was
recovering in Portobello from his
ordeal yesterday afternoon.
“ He’s in shock at the moment,”
Mr Dickson said. “ But he’s got
family around him that he hasn’t
seen in a long time, he’s taking it
all in, so that ’s a silver lining to
the cloud, I suppose.”
His father had insurance.
Clinton Volunteer Fire Brigade
chief fire officer Bill Harris said
the fire appeared to have started
from the gas heater.
“The whole house was involved
when we arrived, but the gas
heater was close to the door,” Mr
Harris said.
“He said he’d tried to throw
it out but he couldn’t get it out
the door. So he vacated the place
himself. ”
Mr Dickson’s gas heater had
been removed from the premises
as it was the subject of the fire
investigation, he said.
Fire investigator Paul Glanville,
of Queenstown, said a cause
could not be determined until
they had spoken to Mr Dickson.
A small out-building in the
back was saved but that was it,
Mr Harris said.
— Otago Daily Times
Audrey Young
of the New Zealand Herald
A bill which would give three free health
checks by a GP every year to holders of
the Supergold card failed to pass its first
reading in Parliament tonight by 60 to 61.
New Zealand First leader Winston
Peters said the bill would save lives and
“precious health dollars”.
He said the cost of a hospital bed in
New Zealand for a day was $1243 and
the cost of the average stay in hospital was
about $10,000.
Mr Peters estimated the cost of three
health checks would be $69 million a
year based on the current number of
Supergold card.
But it would be cost neutral if only one
or two per cent of the Supergold holder
were kept out of hospital because of the
checks.
“Simply put, keeping Supergold card
holders out of hospital will help to
contain spending.”
Two other private members’ bills
sponsored by Opposition MPs failed to
pass their first reading.
The Electoral (Adjustment of Threshold)
Amendment Bill which would have
reduced the party vote threshold from
five per cent to four per cent.
It was in the name of Labour list MP
Iain L ees-Galloway and was defeated by
58 to 63 with National the Maori Party,
Act and United Future opposing it.
The Underground Coal Mining Safety
Bill in the name of West Coast Labour
MP Damien O’Connor was defeated by
60 votes to 61.
The bill would have required the
adoption of Queensland’s mine safety
regime.
The Government argued that it had
already reformed the health and safety
regime since the 2010 Pike River mining
disaster which killed 29 men. It also had
further health and safety reforms before
the House.
The Maori Party supported it along with
Labour, the Greens and New Zealand
First. — NZ ME
Wellington
Wearable cameras for prison guards
could bring down the number of assaults
behind bars, Corrections Minister Peseta
Sam Lotu-Iiga says.
The introduction of body cameras and
stab-resistant armour was announced
yesterday. A total of 1000 cameras will be
introduced, starting in Arohata Prison, a
womens’ facility near Wellington.
Prison authorities hoped the cameras
would reduce disruptive incidents and
said the devices had been successfully
trialled in two jails.
Mr Lotu-Iiga told Newstalk ZB this
morning the initiative would hopefully
curb tension in New Zealand prisons.
“ We’re talking about some of the most
dangerous, sometimes most violent,
most difficult people in our society and
that ’s why they ’re behind bars.
“ We can use technology, we can use
devices like this to role model what
is acceptable behaviour so when the
camera is on them, they’re less likely to
misbehave. ” — NZME
Iwi leader accused of smuggling dead pigeons
Parliament reject free
health checks for elderly
Labour
slams savings
change
Grant Robertson
PICTURE: Otago Daily Times
The Clinton house damaged by fire yesterday morning.
Elderly man loses everything in fire
Prison guards to wear cameras
Mine safety bill defeated
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